I’m Back! Here’s What’s Been Going On.

Well, hello there.

I’m still here, doing life in Farmington, New Mexico. But–oh my–how life has changed in a year’s time!

There’s the new baby, of course. Shouldn’t that count as 10 major life events? I’ve been soaking it up and crying it out and praying and rejoicing and being t.i.r.e.d. Truth? It’s all been worth it, but the fog has been thick and long. Apparently me + new baby = disappearing for a year.

Meanwhile we sailed the sea of major work and social changes. We continued pursuing our personal growth, which has taken some unexpected directions. And oh yes, I almost forgot, we’ve had some health challenges. The health stuff again! Sometimes I’m just sick to death of thinking/doing/searching/living/writing health.

But . . . it’s real. This is our path, and friends have asked me to share more of our story and experiments and resources. Which means I’m returning to Alison’s List to write and update. So stay tuned for resources! And food! And GAPS! And Functional Medicine experiments! And baby and postpartum stuff! You get the idea.

To help me ease into this little love/hate affair, I want to start with a family update. Indulge me?

Meet the Sunbeam

Born peacefully at home on October 13, Iris Evangeline has rocked our world in all the best ways. Minus teething days and nights *sob* she’s a perpetual ray of sunshine in our home. Her giggles, those luscious fat thighs, that scrunchy bunny nose grin, her squeaks and squawks and waving arms–we love it all–we adore it all–we want to eat. her. up. We’re just ridiculous about it.

The little darling is 10 months old now and adores her big brother, her daddy, mommy’s milk, food, stuffed animals, and ferreting out every lethal tiny object in our home to whisk into her mouth.

Iris charms the socks off her uncles too.

Iris has been far healthier and happier than our firstborn. No colic, no frayed nervous system, no breastfeeding misery, and only a couple of weeks of mild eczema at the peak of winter heating season. Hallelujah. The poor thing has, however, suffered from chronic diaper rashes that we only recently connected to supplements I was taking, and she’s clearly inherited my family’s seasonal and chemical allergies. Sleep isn’t awesome either. Boo.

She’s had a fair number of NAET treatments since birth, and now I’m experimenting with healing foods like chicken broth, sauerkraut juice, cod liver oil, and goat milk kefir. Fingers crossed, y’all.

Little Boy <—–the “Baby Bear” who grew up

Oh, this kid! Joy of my heart. Scourge of my got-it-together illusions. The stories I could tell you! Arthur just turned 3 and grows taller (!) and more delightful every day. He loves tinkering with craft supplies, imaginative play, splashing in the sink, mucking around outdoors, watching Daniel Tiger, and building forts and “mountains” with Daddy. He’s also nuts about his little sister.

At night he always requests me–it mustbe me–to sing, talk about his day, and pray. He has two days he likes to tell me about. There’s the time we went to the “Christmas house” (my parents’ mountain home that, yes, has Christmas decorations up year round) and the time we went to a farm and saw chickens. Our prayers are similarly repetitive, covering 3 old injuries–the stitches, the “finger that got hurt playing with the measuring tape,” and the toenail that came off. He’s had some hard knocks this year, for sure, but he always bounces back eventually to his charming, sparkly self.

Arthur shows off his “golf cart.”

I’m thrilled to report that while he still has his challenges, Arthur’s health is dramatically improved. NAET truly changed his–and our–life. A related allergy elimination technique, the BAX3000, helped too. What a difference in sleep, temperament, rashes, and eczema! It did take a bazillion treatments, though, and we’re still not done. For now, we’re changing course to stare down the barrel of some intensive healing protocols, like SIBO treatment and the GAPS diet, to address his remaining health concerns like life-altering constipation and allergies. I plan to blog our way through this intimidating journey, so you’ll get all the details.

Justice

This man amazes me. He did nearly everything at home while I was pregnant, while working full time and enduring job drama, then stayed up nights with a newborn in between long business trips, and he’s still kicking! When the fatigue caught up with him a few months ago, it took some heavy-hitting pituitary and adrenal glandulars to get him going again. (I very much hope to get NAET treatments for him in the next year or two.)

With his 35th birthday around the corner, he continues to gain skill and confidence in his career, listen to a million audiobooks on psychology and business, putter around with golf, and lavishly adore me and the kids. God bless him. Our 9th anniversary is only two weeks away, and I’m more grateful than ever for his partnership, care, and love. He rescued me.

Me

Well, I had a baby 10 months ago. Babies are hard on me. My pregnancy was like a black hole, and even though postpartum life was vastly better this time, I still regained strength and energy slower than other women. On the flipside, while I had worried this baby came too soon after my first, she’s turned out to be a gift straight from God. Joy and contentment found me in this season, watching my little family form in front of my eyes. I’ve finally grown up enough to enjoy motherhood and delight in my children. That’s the biggest news of all.

In other news:

The nonprofit I co-founded 5 years ago, Karis Fellowships, became a real 501(c)3 nonprofit, and I continue to help direct it and participate in its programs.

I turned 30! And celebrated with friends in Santa Fe!

I just joined a community choir and started training my voice.

I discovered camping and am quite in love.

I’m writing about parenting and hope to share some of those stories on a new blog, sooner or later. I’ll keep you posted.

When it comes to my health, there are ups and downs. The ups: I am so much better! I have sustained energy. I’m happier. I’m stronger. I thank NAET and the right adrenal supplements. Also, after failing to find the help I need in New Mexico, I am now drawing on the support of two long-distance practitioners, a functional medicine MD in California and a functional medicine/GAPS practitioner in Florida. This means my hope is growing. I wonder what’s possible for my continued healing?

The downs: Along with getting into the California medical practice came a lot of tests, which meant a lot of results, which meant a whole lot of “no wonder you feel bad” statements. Unfortunately, my compliance with the recommended treatment has been poor, a first for me. As wonderful as growing our family has been, it’s been exhausting too, and dealing with Little Boy’s health issues (read: endless poop drama) at the same time has pushed my own health way down the priority list. I have a follow-up appointment this Friday, plus a second opinion coming soon, so we’ll see what’s next for me. I suspect my hands are tied until I wean the baby, which leaves me with some tough choices.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll see you back here soon with health info and probably more gratuitous photos of my kids. Till next time!